Motor



UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

sAMUEL N. sIYLvEE, or AUBURN, MAINE.

MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,571, dated July 17, 1883.

Application filed December 13, 1882. (Model.)

clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved motor and device for applying power in an effective and economical manner.

rlhe invention consists in a motor formed of a spiral spring contained in a casing loosely mounted on a shaft and provided with devices for transmitting its motionto the shaft, which casing is connected by suitable devices with a crank which is connectedto a wheel or a springcasing which can be rotated by a strap, by a treadle, by belts, or in any other suitable manner, whereby the spring on the shaft will be -brought in tension and will be suddenly released, and thereby will rotate the said shaft. The invention also consists in various parts and details of construction, all as will be fully set forth and described hereinafter.

.Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. l

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of my improved motor. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Figs. 3 and4 are side elevations of the wheel with which the crank is connected. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation of another modication of the same.

. ral spring, F, one end of which is fastened to the said box E, and the other end is fastened to the sleeve C. The sleeve C is provided with a series of radial apertures, b, for inserting a key, for the purpose of turning the sleeve Cto adjust the tension of the spring F. The box E is provided at one end with a collar, Ethe outer edge of which is provided with teeth projecting in the same direction in which the shaft A is to be revolved. A clutch, G, loosely mounted on the shaft A, has the edge adj oining the toothed edge of the collar E provided with teeth projecting in the inverse direction of the collar E. The said clutch G engages with a fixed clutch, H, mounted on the shaft A. Springs J, contained in recesses in the adjoining ends of the loose clutch G and the fixed clutch H, press the toothed edge of the loose clutch G against the toothed edge of the collar E. A crank, K, is attached to or made integral with a ratchet-wh eel, L, provided with a central pintle, M, which is journaled in one ofthe standards B, on which pintle M a circular casing, N, is loosely mounted, which circular casing N contains a spiralspring, O, one end of which. is attached to the circular casing N, and the other end of which is attached to a boss, P, surrounding the pintle M and secured to the standard B. The periphery of the casing N is grooved to receive a strap, Q. A

strap, belt, or rope, B, attached to the outer end of the crank K, is attached to the periph- ,ry of the box E; or, if desired, a connectingvthe crank K can be made double, as shown in Fig. -that is, the pivot M can be replaced by a shaft, M,which has abearing at each end, and is provided with a crank between one end and the side of the casing N. In Figs. 1', 2, 4., and 5 the ratchet-wheelLis mounted centrally on the casing N; but, if desired, it can be mounted eccentrically, as shown in Fig. 3, in case it is to give varying speed and power at different parts of its revolution.

If desired, the edge of the casing N can be provided with gear-teeth, as shown in Fig. 4, which engage with a pinion, S, which is rotated by abelt or some othersuitable device, and thereby operates the crank-shaft. A pawl, T, pivoted on the side of the casing N, is pressed against the ratchet-wheel L by a Spring, U.

If desired, a series of boxes, E, corresponding clutches, and corresponding casings, N, and

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suitable connections may be combined with one and the same shaft, so that power can be applied to the same at different points at the same time.

The operation is as follows: If the wheel or casingV N is turned in the direction of the arrow c', the crank K will swing downward in the same direction and will turn the drum or box E in a like direction 5 as indicated by the arrow. The box E is loosely mounted on the sleeve C and on the shaft A, and can turn in the direction of its arrow without turning the shaft in the same direction, but by the said movement of the box, E the coil-spring F within the box will be drawn taut. When the crank K has been turned downward torsuch an extentthat its lower end haspassed beyond the vertical line extending downward from the center, of rotation of the crank, the spring F, contained in the box E, will uneoil suddenly, and will very rapidly throw the shaft A andthe wheel D in the direction of the arrow 1)',and thereby draw the crank K up suddenly, to complete its revolution very rapidly-that is, much more rapidly than the casing N. By turning the easing N in the direction of the arrow e', the spring O has been coiled, and as soon as the crank K is drawn upward rapidly to complete its revolution the spring Othrows the casing N back in the inverse direction of y the arrow a', so that if the easing N is again turned in the direction of the arrow a the pawl T will catch on the ratchet-wheel L and 'will turn the crank K downward in the direction of the arrow a. The device operates the same if the casing is rotated continuously in the direction of thearrow a', instead ofr being rotated partially in the direction of the ar-A row a', and then thrown back by its spring- O. The movement of the shaft A can be adjusted by means of the sleeve C, for by turning the same more or less the tension ofthe spring F can be adjusted as may be desired. rIhe power can be applied to thecasing N by means of a treadle, or from any other suitable motor by means of belts, and the power may be applied by a rotary movement or a-reciproeating` movement, as has been stated above.

rIhe above-described device can be attached` to or used in a bicycle, atricycle, or any other foot or hand power machine. Itcan be used for converting a slow movement into a rapid movement, for converting` a reciprocating movement into a circular movement, and for; accumulating power to be used a second time, for by moving the crank downward or outward the spring F is brought in great tension and is allowed to suddenly react, and the force and impulse produced by the action'of this spring will propel a vehicle-for instance, avelocipede-a long distance on a level road. In going uphill or up a grade the reaction of this spring will not propel the vehicle soifar, and the operator will have to tread oftener. The advantage of my improved device is that on a level road he would not have to tread as often as he would have to on an incline, or,

in other words, the power consumed will al ways be in relation to the resistance, whereas in other machines he must always operate the same whether the resistance is greater or less. Again, if the device is applied to a steam or other engine, a better result is obtained than by the expansion principle, as it requires the full power of the engine to bring the spring in tension, and if the spring is allowed to suddenly react upon the shaft, to

'which a fly-wheel of sufficient weight is attached, t-he entire force and capacity of the spring are constantly stored in the ily-wheel, and this ily-wheel then carries the entire load until it falls below a certain required specd,at which instant an automatic regulator-for in stance, an engine-governor with suitable connectionsfcauses the engine to start, again cansing the same to bring in tension the sp1-ing in the bon` E, and allowing it to act upon the shaft, and so on. It will be plainly seen that the flywheel would keep to its required speed longer with a light load, or if part of the load were thrown off, than if fully loaded, thus allowing a longer interval of time between the strokes ofthe engine, thereby saving unnecessary wear and friction of the engine, besides obtaining as good results as are obtained by the expansion of steam.

The spring F, which is coiled around the shaft, is shown and described in the casing E; but that is not necessary, as the casing E can be dispensed with and the spring can be attached to an arm or other suitable device, or

left entirely open to view. Instead of the clutch G II, a friction-clutch may be used. In

case the motor is attached to a velocipede or oth er vehicle, the fly-wheel D can be dispensed with. Thebox E need not always be turned in the same direction as the crank-arm K, but in certain cases may have to be turned in the reverse direction. The crank K need not be below the shaft A, but eanfbe above it or at one side ofthe same, and it need not always turn downward from the sha-ft, but can turn `upward or laterally.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a motor, the combination, with the vdriving-shaft with a spring connected thereto, 'by the reaction of which it is revolved, of a crank arm or shaft caused to move in a circular path and to complete its revolution at a suddenly-increased and rapid rate of speed upon-the relaxation of said spring, the means for causing the said arm or shaft to perform part of its revolution being returned by a spring to its original position to enable the crank-arm to be again acted upon, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a motor, the combination, with the driving-shaft carrying thecase or inelosure clutched thereto and acted upon by a spring 'connected to a sleeve, said sleeve loosely surrounding said shaft and fixed in position, of the loosely supported or `journaled case or frame having a spring connected thereto and IOO IIO

to a fixed point, andthe crank arm or shaft connected to the former case and to a ratchet acted upon by a spring-pawl of the latter case, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a motor, the driving-shaft A, with a surrounding sleeve, C, connected to a spring, F, connected to a case, E, clutched to said shaft, whereby the action of the spring is caused to revolve the shaft, in combination with the spring O,secured to a fixed point and to a journaled case, N, said case having the operating-strap Q, and the-crank arm or shaft K, strapped, as at R, to the spring-case E and fastened to the ratchet L, supported on a iXed shaft, M, and engaged by a spring-pawl, T, piv- 15 oted to the case N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

SlMUEL NORMAN SILVER.

Witnesses:

A GEORGE C. WING,

DANIEL LARA. 

